The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-26
JESSE POMEROY BLIND.
The Young Massachusetts Fiend Rem
ders Himself Helpless

|
Jesse Pomeroy, the notorious criminal,
now serving a life sentence, who made a
futile attempt to escape from prison Friday
night, lost his sight by the explosion of gas
in his cell He is totally blind, and of
course helpless to make any further attempt
to break out of the State prison in the
Charestown District, where he will pass the
remainder of his days. After Pomeroy had
tapped the gas main, he placed blanket IN
front of his cell and turned on the gas,
thinking he could get out of the way before
the explosion took place, but he made mis-
take in his estimate, and the force OF the
explosion rendered him unconscious and
deprived him of the sense of sight.
On Aug 25 Jesse Pomeroy made another
well-planned and desperate attempt to es-
cape from the Charlestown State prison by
saving through the bars of his cell 1t was
purely by accident that the young murder
er's plan was discovered, which was so eau
tiously matured that he would otherwise
| have succeeded. On Pomerov's person were
| found two fine saws of the best chilled steel
and a quantity of gelatine, which he had
used to hide his work. As Pomeroy had re-
peatedly boosted that the only ambition of
his life was to kill his keepers and escape
from the prison. he has been kept a close
prisoner in a solitary cell in a remote part of
the building. His only visitor has been his
mother, who calls once in two months and
converses with her son through the bars
in the presence of a jailer
How Pomeroy secured the saws and CELIA
tine is a mystery which worries the prison
| authorities and brings to mind the various
files, knives, saws and chisels he has been
provided with in times past. Pomeroy is
| considered the most dangerous convict III
the prison, and for some time past he has
been lodged in the strongest cell in the
| building. When the addition was made TO
the prison, a few years ago. this cell was
made of large blocks of granite, into which
| were sunk steel bars and gratings OF UNI
usual strength. The cell was designed for
| Pomeroy for serving life sentence, and the
| prison authorities have frequently answered
| the young mans murderous threats by say
ing that if he could escape from that cell he
was at liberty to kill as many people as he
liked. Pomeroy has always replied that no
cell would hold him, and he would have the
keepers life in good time.
On the night this plan was discovered
| Keeper Winslow went his rounds as usual
| and while waiting to be relieved by the next
watch he leaned against the grating of the
/ window which opens from the corridor OPP
posite Pomeroys cell into the prison yard.
| To Winslow's amazement the great inch
and half bars yielded. He pressed his
hand against them and two of the bars fell
to the pavement below. The entire watch
was aroused, and they instinctively began
the search of the prison at Pomeroy's cell.
| By testing the bars in the little window of
| the young murderers cell it was found that
enough Of them had been sawed through to
admit the passage of a mans body.
They were held in place by gelatine, col
ored by the bits of steel filing so that it
| could not be detected. There was no dust
| or bits of iron to be seen, and the work had
| been done as carefully as it must have been
| done noiselessly to escape the ears of the
| Waterman. Pomeroy was at once searched
| and two steel saws were found secreted in
the lining of his prison jacket He was
| furious at the discovery of his plot and he
declared that if they had given him time TO
saw one more bar in the corridor window he
would have killed the Waterman and made
good his escape. To do this would require
the help of confederates outside before he
| could have scaled the high prison wall
| which surrounds the yard.
The prison officials believe that all this
had been arranged and that Friday night
had been set for his escape. 1t is also the
| opinion of the keepers that Pomeroy's aged
mother, who is devoted to her son, supplied
! him with the saws and arranged the other
details of his expected escape She has
| been a constant visitor ever since her son
was imprisoned, eleven years ago, and has
been suspected of helping him in each of his
| out.
The first attempt to escape was made some
| nine wears ago Then PomerOy was en-
| ployed in the brush factory and spent his
leisure moments in loosening a boulder of
r. ok that made at the same time the outer
wall of the prison and the outer wall Of his
| cell Soon after this Pomeroy was placed
in solitary cell and began to loosen the
bars with piece of iron wrenched from his
bed. A little later the murderer had con
| trived to pick the lock of the cell door with
| an instrument made from the steel which
shared the instep of his shoes. A plot was
then discovered whereby Pomeroy and two
| other prisoners were to kill the keeper and
escape over the roof
| About three years ago it was accidentally
| discovered that Pomeroy had followed out
place in the seat of his stool and had swal-
| lowed the bits of wood to avoid detection.
In the hole thus made the murderer had
| secreted a cold-chisel and covered it over
with putty of the same color as the STOOL
| This chisel was to be used in digging the
way out and then to kill as many keepers as
came within reach. The prison authorities
think that Pomeroy has been busy with his
| last attempt for year or more.
| Jesse Pomeroy. when scarcely ~ years
old, began to develop the disposition of a
| fiend From time to time he decoyed little
boys. varying in age from to 10 years, to
|
them to trees, whipped them with cudgels
of wood and cut them with His pocketknife
On the testimony of seven boys he was sent
to the reform school, but he had hardly re-
gained his liberty when he murdered Katie
| Curran, child of IL years, at South Bos-
ton The body he buried in an ash-heap,i in
the cellar of his mothers house. He was
then IA years old.
A few months later he decoyed Rlittle
boy named Horace Millen out on the marsh
es at South Boston, and cut his body into
pieces with his pocket knife. The injuries
were made so as TO prolong the torture as
long as possible. The body was hidden in the
smouldering ashes of a clam bake. These
crimes Ppmeroy has confessed, and the citi-
zens of Chelsea and South Boston declare
that he is the murderer of at least one other
little child, and has practiced his inhuman
fortunes on many others.
~